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Thread: SMD AMM-1

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    Noob Weigel21's Avatar
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    SMD AMM-1

    Damn this thing, since day one, it's always appealed to me, even though I always felt it's price wasn't justifiable for such a limited use tool. It's been what, five years since it's come out and the price hasn't dropped (in fact, it's risen $50) with the exception of random deals you come across from time to time.

    I know I could buy a clamp meter for less than half the price of the AMM-1 and use my current DMM and pocket O-Scope to clamp test for power output and get quite close to what the AMM-1 will read, it's just not as "convenient".

    And I know there are many better ways I could spend $400. Not to mention I'd probably only use it once or twice a year after the first week or two of ownership, much like the O-Scope I bought.

    Still, I do have a dozen amps that'd be "neat" to find out just how close to rated they can produce in my situation (real world applications, not bench tested under ideal conditions).

    What say all of you? Still a novelty tool that's overpriced and just not a justifiable purchase?

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    Re: SMD AMM-1

    Really not worth it, in my opinion.... Even the DD-1 is overpriced, IMO - especially when you can buy a mutimeter with basic o-scope capabilities for under $80 - which can show you your signals for amp gain setting as well as be useful for a bunch of other things.

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    Owner BigAl205's Avatar
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    Re: SMD AMM-1

    If Meade was a nice guy...maybe


    ...but since he's a douche

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    Senior Member Smitty's Avatar
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    Re: SMD AMM-1

    It does not tempt me at all; however, I have a clamp meter, multimeter, oscilloscope, and RTA. I just don't see any value.
    Meh, it'll play.

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    Re: SMD AMM-1

    Fluke meters are good.

    Quote Originally Posted by Weigel21 View Post
    What say all of you? Still a novelty tool that's overpriced and just not a justifiable purchase?
    Novelty item , skip buying that.

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    Re: SMD AMM-1

    It's a fun tool to play around with. Not needed though

    The 1 tool I do like from that lineup is the im-sg

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    Re: SMD AMM-1

    I use an electric hot water heater element in a pail of water ( connect amp , clamp on amprobe ). Shows you current draw. Read voltage . . . Compute wattage.

    Quote Originally Posted by Weigel21 View Post

    Still, I do have a dozen amps that'd be "neat" to find out just how close to rated they can produce in my situation

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    Re: SMD AMM-1

    grab a shunt ammeter if you've already got a multimeter?

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    Re: SMD AMM-1

    There are some things I've read that I feel need better explaining or clarification...

    Quote Originally Posted by Queef View Post
    I use an electric hot water heater element in a pail of water ( connect amp , clamp on amprobe ). Shows you current draw. Read voltage . . . Compute wattage.
    That's Volts multiplied by Amps. That's VA...not Watts. You need to account for phase angle of current and voltage to get an accurate Watt reading. The AD-1, AMM-1, and Term-Lab all do that.


    Tony D'Amore is the man behind D'Amore Engineering.

    I have owned all of Tony's gear. And honestly, that's the way I see it. Tony's gear. Meade is just the storefront. Not a Meade fan, but I'll support Tony.

    I had an amp dyno. The AD-1. Serial #3. Was great testing amp output into a fixed (purely resistive) load. Also useful for setting gain overlap.

    The handheld AMM-1 has a dyno feature that will tell you real time amp output. This will be different with subs connected and in an enclosure due to impedance rise. Basically showing you "real world" power. AD-1 is great for testing numbers on a bench.

    The AMM-1 will also do other things like work as a voltmeter and show min/max voltage. Useful for seeing how much your system actually taxes the vehicle's electrical system.

    The Crossover Calibrator (CC-1) I bought YEARS ago. Never use it.

    The Distortion Detector (DD-1) I also bought years ago. I use it for literally EVERY vehicle I build and tune. While many will say that you can use an O-scope (absolutely nothing wrong with using an O-scope I have one), they forget that the device is called a Distortion Detector. Not a clipped signal indicator. A clipped (or visually distorted) signal is what an O-scope will show you.

    While an O-scope will show you when that sine wave visually "distorts" or starts to clip, the DD-1 looks at the 3rd harmonic of the fundamental frequency. When the DD-1 starts seeing that 3rd harmonic increase to near 1% of the strength of the fundamental frequency (40Hz for example) it'll start to light. At 1% it's fully on. The DD-1 will measure distortion before a signal appears clipped on an O-scope.

    I sold my DD-1 and picked up the DD-1+. Nice to see gain overlap on the handheld screen like you would on the AD-1.

    Then there's the IM-SG. That thing is my absolutely most used tool from Tony. Whether it's to check enclosure tuning to see how close the built enclosure is to what I designed, to check if speakers are good/bad, or to just send a test signal through speaker leads to confirm that I have the right pair as I'm troubleshooting, I use that thing all the time.

    So back to the OP, the AMM-1 it's useful to have when you want to know true real-time in-system power output.
    Last edited by JasonInAugusta; 11-29-2019 at 12:24 AM.

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    Noob avidedtr's Avatar
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    Re: SMD AMM-1

    Quote Originally Posted by BigAl205 View Post
    If Meade was a nice guy...maybe


    ...but since he's a douche
    I had to deal with him over one of his fuse blocks. What a royal ass hat( told me that I was an idiot for using them for ground distribution).
    In the end the fuse holder was defective due to excessive locktite liquid used and caused sparks under the stainless bolts that made contact with the aluminum busses bars

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